Espeon's Goodbye
by GuideSorcery
Summary: After Vee finally succumbs to the side effects of Team Rocket's experimentation, Bill finds himself in charge of his funeral. Most importantly, this means keeping an eye on Red, who's still emotionally shattered. That means that when a former Rocket admin arrives uninvited, Bill's job is to somehow prevent the Champion from seeking revenge on those responsible for his death.


**Author's Note: I initially wrote this fanfiction for a PokéSpe writing event. The prompt was to make the setting a formal event, such as a wedding, a prom, a ceremony, or (as is the case here) a funeral. This is what I came up with, so I hope it's to your liking!**

**Side note: in this work, the male grandson of Professor Oak will be named Blue, and the female Trainer with a Blastoise will be named Green. I understand that these names are often switched, but keeping it this way made it less of a headache for me to write.**

**That's all, hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Espeon's Goodbye

"Dearly beloved, thank you for joining me today."

Mr. Fuji somberly placed his hand on the small mahogany coffin, no longer than a meter in length. From his station off to the left of the House of Memories, Bill couldn't see past the celebrant's back among the Sinnoh lilies. The quivering, sorrowful reverence in his voice was unmistakable, even among the sobbing of several congregation members.

He couldn't help but spare a glance at Yellow, fighting to hold herself together in the front row. Part of him wanted to cross the aisle and hold her close, tell her that nothing about Vee's passing had been her fault, that it was okay for there to be some things even she couldn't heal.

Daisy Oak gripped Bill's arm, sensing his urge to comfort. "I know," she whispered. "Me too." For a moment, Bill savored Daisy's touch; never judging, never scolding, but instead acknowledging and sympathizing. That said, priority number one was still ensuring that the funeral proceeded smoothly, no surprises. Yellow's sorrow had to wait.

Bill redirected his eyes to the Pokédex Holders, seated together in the front row. Condolences from Hoenn had come in the form of two cards and a Pokégear call, but Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald were all too far away to attend. That left Gold, Silver, and Crys joining Green in the front row, all bowing their heads in reverence. Even Gold had traded in his usual rude nature for a more solemn demeanor.

The one Trainer Bill was truly concerned about sat next to his rival and best friend in the seat beside the center aisle. Red's eyes weren't visible beneath the shadow of his hat, and his cheeks and mouth gave no indication of his emotions.

He hadn't spoken a word since his beloved Espeon had died. The boisterous, optimistic Champion of the Indigo League was gone. The Red that remained was practically unrecognizable. A blanket of numbness secluded this Red from the rest of the world; both his signature smile and his cheerful attitude were nowhere in sight.

Bill could almost picture the memories Red and Vee had shared together dancing around in his mind, each one stinging more than the last.

Daisy Oak squeezed Bill's arm even more. "Is Red…"

"Course," said Bill in a hushed voice. "Yer brother's with 'im."

Sure enough, Blue Oak was tense, almost immune to his own emotions. His eyes remained trained on Vee's coffin, but his right hand shifted in his pocket anxiously, ready to unleash a Pokémon at a moment's notice.

Daisy spared a short smile. "Why does he always think he can fix everything with a fight? He knows what a conversation is, right?"

Bill returned the smile and placed a finger on his mouth.

So far, the funeral had gone without a hitch. The Gym Leaders were doing a good job at keeping uninvited newcomers at bay outside the House of Memories, and the opening rituals had gone smoothly. Green was all set to sing the classic farewell song, "The Time Has Come", after Mr. Fuji's rituals, a song she had been rehearsing for ages.

Mr. Fuji cleared his throat, stroking the coffin gently. "As Pokémon have protected us, so too must we protect them. With this final resting place for our beloved Vee, carefully crafted, we call to mind the protection Vee has offered his Trainer, Red, and the protection Vee received in return within his Poké Ball. As Vee partook in the mutual love and protection with his Trainer, so may we be the final protection for Vee with this coffin. May he rest in safety and comfort on his journey into the next life."

There was a tug on Bill's tuxedo sleeve. Surprised, Bill turned to find Celio, an urgent look on his face.

"We've got a problem," Celio muttered. "The Elite Four are here. It was Bruno's idea, apparently."

The color drained from Bill's face. "Where?"

"They're in the narthex. Erika's talking to them."

Bill held Daisy's shoulder. "Stay here and keep an eye on Red."

Daisy nodded knowingly.

"Dang the luck, dang it…" Bill muttered, following Celio around the back of the congregation. All that time debating with the Indigo Association over whether they should attend or not, all the bureaucracy he had dealt with; the last thing he needed right now were uninvited ex-criminals.

"Least we only gotta worry about one o' them," Bill grumbled, remembering that both Sabrina and Lt. Surge were out of the region for a tournament in Unova.

They'd reached the double oak doors. Bill gave it a light push, but something pushed back.

The narthex of the House of Memories was unsurprisingly packed. Despite Blue's suggestion to make Vee's funeral a private event with only Red's closest friends invited, the press simply could not keep themselves away from the Champion's business.

Annoyed, Bill gave it a little more effort, managing to inch the door just enough to see Gym Leader Erika's black kimono.

Her back against the door, Erika turned her head just enough to give Bill an urgent glare. "Keep this door shut."

"Naw, I'm in charge of this funeral. Lemme talk to 'em," Bill whispered.

"Under no circumstances will I risk—"

"Heck, Erika, I've gone toe-to-toe with the Elite Four before." Bill bit his tongue before he could mention how unpleasant that experience had been. "Lemme talk to 'em."

A moment of hesitation, then the door swung open a little wider. Erika's kimono swept aside to reveal Bruno—his muscular body covered with a dark T-shirt for once in his life—and Koga, who hadn't bothered to change out of his night-black ninja uniform.

Bill glanced around for the other two members; to his relief, Will and Karen were nowhere in sight.

"We've come to pay our respects," Bruno whispered.

"Listen, y'all, I appreciate it, but this is a private event. Invites only. I'm real sorry." Secretly, Bill prayed that Bruno wouldn't unleash a Hitmonlee on him again.

Bruno took a deep breath. "…Right. I understand."

A sigh of relief escaped Bill's lips. "Thanks a bundle, y'all."

As Bruno turned and left the building, Koga leaned in. "Listen…can you deliver a message to Red for me? Tell him that we…that I…I never meant for this to happen."

"I really don't think Red wants to—"

"Let him in."

Bill would never have imagined that hearing Red's voice would send chills down his spine. Trembling, he turned back to the pews.

Red stood in the center aisle, fists clenched and lips pursed. His eyes remained hidden beneath the shadow of his hat, but Bill could have sworn he could see them burning like an inferno.

Bill glanced toward Daisy, but she stood petrified. It was Blue who rose and grabbed Red's wrist.

"Now's not the time, Red."

"Get off me." Red jerked his arm away. "Open the door, Bill."

Bill's body went numb. "Red, if yer figurin' on—"

"NOW!"

As if Red's fury took total control of his hands, Bill obediently opened the door a little wider. Gasps and whispers began to circulate the congregation at the sight of Koga of the Elite Four.

At last, Red raised his head, revealing his eyes, baggy with exhaustion and sadness but trained on Koga like a sniper's scope.

Koga's face went pale. He raised his hand defensively. "Whatever quarrel you and I have had, Red, it's just in the past."

"Just in the past, huh?" Red let out an unsettling chuckle. "I'm…I'm sure the Pokémon League let you think it was just in the past, huh? The way they let you get off squeaky-clean? Yeah, now it's all just…in the past."

Red took a step towards Koga that seemed to echo through the room. "All of it, all the Pokémon you stole for Team Rocket, all the horrible experiments you did, all the innocent Pokémon you tortured—my Vee, my Gyara—all of it's just in the past. That's it, huh?"

"And not a day goes by when I don't regret—"

"Shut up!" The guests were turning their heads away from the sight, fearful to meet eyes with the Champion as his voice shook with rage. "You don't get to talk!"

"That's enough, Red!" said Blue.

"Screw you!" Red roared.

"We never meant for Pokémon to die!" Koga retorted. "We were trying to make them stronger! Obviously, that Eevee was an anomaly!"

"I think…" Red breathed through gritted teeth, "I think the only anomaly here was me showing up and exposing you to the world. That you tortured innocent Pokémon—you tortured Vee—"

"You think it's easy to live with that?" said Koga, somehow still standing his ground. "I was following orders!"

"I SAID, SHUT UP!"

In two brilliant bursts of light, the bulky Venusaur and the small but powerful Pikachu emerged from their Poké Balls, the same fiery wrath burning in their eyes. Somewhere, someone screamed; a thick, gnarled branch had burst out of the ground and wrapped around a woman, lifting her, writhing and kicking, high into the air.

With an unseemly yelp, Bill dove behind a pew.

Crunching loudly, more branches erupted from beneath the floor as Venusaur let out a mighty yet sorrowful roar, wrapping themselves around screaming guests and raising them into the air. Before he could react, Blue found himself wrapped in a twisted trunk too, the branches coiling around his arms and pinning them to his body. A chorus of surprised shrieks came from the front of the church as the Pokédex Holders found themselves entangled in branches as well.

An immense tree trunk erupted in the front door, encasing Koga in its branches until only his head remained visible. The ninja wriggled and squirmed as much as the restrictions of the trunk would allow, but the branches remained immovable.

As the crunching of bark subsided, Bill suddenly realized that he could still move. The branches hadn't even grazed him.

Taking a deep breath, he looked around.

The congregation had scattered, with the unlucky few now suspended in midair by twisted branches and tree trunks. As the crowd tried to push its way out, the press tried to push its way in, eager to be the first on this new development in the Champion's emotional state. Mr. Fuji was nowhere to be found.

Some of the thickest branches suspended the Pokédex Holders from the ceiling, kicking and struggling. Smaller vines held together their wrists, their hands just inches away from their Poké Balls. Other vines tightened themselves around the Trainers' mouths, gagging them so Red wouldn't have to listen to their pleas for him to do the right thing. Their eyes pleaded for their tongues, widening in terror, but Red didn't give them a second thought.

Bill spared a glance at Daisy. The roots hadn't touched her, but she had pinned herself against the wall, utterly terrified.

Koga, on the other hand, had stopped struggling. He saw Red taking heavy steps toward him, and his eyes widened in fear. "Red…please, I beg of you—"

Koga cut his words short with an excruciating scream, a sudden jolt of electricity coursing down his body. Turning his head, he finally noticed Pikachu gripping his shoulder, teeth bared and tears welling up in his eyes.

Red's eyes no longer held a fiery fury; instead, they were empty and expressionless, somehow even more terrifying.

"Again!" Red commanded.

With a screech of despair, Pikachu let loose another jolt. Koga writhed in agony as Red looked on, apparently unfazed by his enemy's pain.

Bill could barely make out Red's words. "Now…for every ounce of suffering you put Vee through…you're gonna pay for it all in full."

Koga coughed. "Are…are you going to…to kill me?"

Something about the way Red's eyes narrowed in response sent a chill down Bill's spine. It seemed to slip down his ribs and into his heart; it seemed to awaken something inside him, a courage that he hadn't realized was there.

Bill glanced at Daisy. He saw the same terror in her eyes, but there was also pity. She couldn't forgive Red for lashing out, but at the same time, Bill realized, she couldn't blame him for how he felt.

Before the cowardice in his mind could process it, Bill's hand reached Red's shoulder. "Red…ya don't wanna do this."

"Stay out of this."

"This ain't justice, Red. It's you goin' wild, totally outta control."

"I'm fine, Bill! Bug off!" Red snapped, shrugging away Bill's hand.

In the back of Bill's mind, something was trying to drag him back to safety, but he had gone too far down this road. "You ain't doin' no one no favors. Not even yerself. Real life don't always follow the script, remember? You cain't blame Koga 'cuz it's easy."

"Then who am I supposed to blame, huh?"

"Red, please," Koga muttered, slowly regaining his bearings. "You must let the blame go. We cannot continue passing the guilt around. So many of us share the burden of your Espeon's passing. I already blame myself for participating in those experiments, I'm sure you blame yourself for overusing the Eevee's experimental powers—"

Red froze. His fists tightened, his nails digging into his palms.

"Finish him, Pika," he commanded.

"No…" For a moment, Bill tried to deny he'd heard Red say what he did.

"Finish him!"

"Pika, no!" Bill cried, rushing over to Koga's tree trunk prison. "Don't do it, Pika!"

Were it not for the branches woven tight around their mouths, the Pokédex Holders would be overbearing the room with their protests as well; they could do nothing but watch in horror. Koga cowered in anticipation of the brutal, fatal attack.

Instead, Pikachu looked up at Red, puzzled.

"You heard me. End him, NOW!" Red's chest heaved in and out more rapidly now, but Pikachu did not lift a finger to harm Koga again. He clambered down the trunk, gazing back at Red with sorrowful eyes.

"I gave you an order, Pika."

Pikachu turned away, shutting his eyes to keep in the tears. At long last, Red's eyes began to water.

"F-fine then! Saur! Crush him!" he shouted desperately.

But Venusaur gave him the same puzzled, sorrowful eyes, backing away from the tree prison.

"You too?" Red shook his head, trembling. "I'm your Trainer! You're really gonna pick him over me?"

Bill took a step back in disbelief. "Ain't no Pokémon that'll listen to a Trainer they don't respect."

"No…" Red murmured, going pale. "No, no, they respect me. You respect me! You're gonna follow my orders, right, Saur? Pika? You're gonna…you're gonna…"

Now Venusaur and Pikachu were crying, despite themselves. They backed away from the stranger who was their Trainer, unwilling to obey his mad ravings.

Now the tears came streaming down Red's face. "Come on! You…you've gotta—"

"Red, look at 'em!" Bill cried. "This ain't what yer Pokémon want! You think Vee would've wanted this?"

"VEE…IS…GONE!"

At long last, the defeated Champion dropped to his hands and knees, his teardrops staining the carpet, his sobbing echoing loudly through the House of Memories.

Ever so gently, the branches lowered throughout the room. As the Pokédex Holders shook themselves from their bonds, they remained silent, both stunned and sorrowful. Yellow buried her face into Green's shoulder, bursting into an uncontrollable fit of tears herself.

The trunk imprisoning Koga slowly sank back into the ground, leaving a pit of torn carpet and splintered wood where it had once stood. Koga let out a sigh of relief.

All eyes remained focused on Red, the broken Trainer weeping in the center aisle. Even Venusaur and Pikachu remained rooted in their positions, uncertain of how to comfort their grieving friend.

Several minutes passed.

To Bill, it almost felt like hours before he finally worked up the courage to help Red to his feet. "Come on."

Red's arm felt like lead, but he didn't resist. He wasn't crying anymore; his hat covered his eyes, as if with an empty darkness. The two hobbled back to the front pew, Red leaning on Bill's shoulder.

Koga stepped forward. "Is there anything—"

"Y'all should go," Bill interrupted.

Koga didn't protest. Quietly, he backed out of the door, silently closing it behind him.

Bill set Red down on the pew, where Blue was waiting to help him, trying to keep up his stern exterior. Even Blue, no matter how hard he tried, couldn't hide his compassion for his best friend's suffering.

Venusaur and Pikachu finally came up to Red hesitantly. Pikachu crawled up onto his friend's shoulder, nuzzling him gently. For a moment, Red's hand came up to stroke him before lowering back into his lap.

"How're you feelin'?" Bill asked.

Red didn't respond. His head was bowed, his hat still hiding his eyes. His lip was trembling ever so slightly.

An arm wrapped around Bill's shoulders. He turned to look Daisy in the eyes, both trying to keep their tears contained.

Then Daisy turned away to gaze at Red. "You know, Red…there's this old legend from Sinnoh."

Red still said nothing.

Daisy sighed and continued. "There are a lot of interpretations of the original text, but…basically, if you thank a Pokémon for all it has done for you after it leaves this world…one day, it'll come back."

Suddenly, Red stood and pushed his way past Bill, marching straight up to his Pokémon's coffin. The tears once again flowing freely, he collapsed on top of it, sobbing uncontrollably.

Daisy placed her head on Bill's shoulder. "Should we bring him back?"

"Naw, give him time," Bill replied sadly. "We'll pick up the service from where we left off."

Red's mouth formed words, but none came out.

A silent eternity seemed to pass for the defeated Champion, mourning the silent eternity his beloved Vee had entered; two silent eternities spent among the Sinnoh lilies.


End file.
